Quiz 2 on "A Topper Christmas Carol" (1953), Starring Leo G. Carroll

 1.  What is the neighbor boy's first name, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 2.  What is Topper's first name?



 3.  Whom does the Ghost of Christmas Past resemble, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 4.  How far back in time does the Ghost of Christmas Past take "the Scrooge," in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 5.  What is Mrs. Topper's first name?



 6.  Where does Topper work?



 7.  What game does Topper usually play on Sunday?



 8.  How many people attended Mr. and Mrs. Topper's wedding, and where did it take place?



 9.  Whom does the Ghost of Christmas Present resemble, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



10.  Whom does the Ghost of Christmas Future resemble, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Answers were published January 9, 2023.

Quiz by William Mortensen Vaughan

Quiz 1 on "A Topper Christmas Carol" (1953), Starring Leo G. Carroll

 1.  When and where did this episode premiere?



 2.  When and where does this episode take place?



 3.  According to whom, who "must be color blind" in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 4.  Which Christmas is this, that the ghosts of the Mr. Kerby and his wife are spending with Topper? (Give an ordinal number.)



 5.  What is the surname of Topper's neighbor boy, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 6.  What is the name of the dog, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 7.  What does the dog have in common with its owners, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 8.  What breed of dog appears in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



 9.  Who falls asleep, and dreams that he is Scrooge, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?



10.  Who is Katie, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Answers were published December 29, 2022.

Quiz by William Mortensen Vaughan

Answers to Quiz 1 on "A Topper Christmas Carol" (1953), Starring Leo G. Carroll

 1.  When and where did this episode premiere? 

Friday, December 25, 1953; U.S.A.

 2.  When and where does this episode take place?

Circa 1955, in Topper's home, in Los Angeles

 3.  According to whom, who "must be color blind" in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Marion says Topper "must be color blind."

 4.  Which Christmas is this, that the ghosts of the Mr. Kerby and his wife are spending with Topper? (Give an ordinal number.)

First

 5.  What is the surname of Topper's neighbor boy, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Welch

 6.  What is the name of the dog, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Neil

 7.  What does the dog have in common with its owners, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

It's a ghost.

 8.  What breed of dog appears in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

St. Bernard

 9.  Who falls asleep, and dreams that he is Scrooge, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

Topper

10.  Who is Katie, in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol?

The cook

Quiz and Answers by William Mortensen Vaughan

Topper's Christmas Carol (1953): Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

Title:  "A Topper Christmas Carol"

Adaptation:  Starring Leo G. Carroll, as Cosmo Topper, "the Scrooge"

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

FRI, 25 DEC 1953 U.S.A.

 

My Rating:  **(Substandard; black and white)

Format Reviewed:  live-action television episode,  streamed from YouTube

 

Runtime:  30 minutes 

 

Availability:  

As of December 14, 2022, this film was available to stream for free on YouTube.

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

No.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Not particularly.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

No.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She's not interested in it.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Los Angeles, California, circa 1950

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

American English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation makes drastic departures from the original novel. It is framed as the day dream of Cosmo Topper, a banker who lives with his wife and three ghosts, in L.A.:  George Kerby; his wife, Marion; and their St. Bernard, Neil.

The scene opens with the ghost of Marion Kerby helping Mr. Topper decorate his Christmas Tree. Neil is there, and Mr. Kerby also appears to give advice.

Then Mr. Topper's wife, Henrietta, arrives, soon followed by Dr. Lang and Thelma, and they have a small Christmas Party, during which Mr. Topper begins reading A Christmas Carol. His wife keeps interrupting, so finally, he asks her to read it.

As she does so, he falls asleep. During his nap, he dreams that he is Scrooge. A woman who resembles appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and shows him on a date with his wife before they were married.

Then a man who resembles Mr. Kerby appears to him as the Ghost of Christmas Present, dressed in a box with a ribbon, as if he were a Christmas Present. He shows Mr. Topper how a neighbor boy, named Tiny Tim, abuses his parents (Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit, who look like Dr. Lang and Thelam) and threatens to run away from home and move in with Mr. Topper. (The boy knocks his mother onto their Christmas Dinner Table so hard that it collapses under her.)

A talking dog who looks like Neil appears to Topper as the Ghost of Christmas Future. Neil tries to get Topper to follow him, but, back in "reality," Henrietta wakes Topper up from his nap.

Then the neighbor boy, who inspired Topper to dream of Tiny Tim, arrives and gives Topper a Christmas present, which Topper opens, to discover it's a slingshot, which the boy claims he uses "for hitting cats."

Then Henrietta discovers another "gift":  Neil, who has appeared so that she can seem him. (She doesn't know about the three ghosts who haunt her home.)

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, this film features ghosts.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes, it is framed as a day dream which Topper has while his wife reads A Christmas Carol at their Christmas Party.

Is this adaptation a musical?  

No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Theme music composed by Roy Ingraham, Charles Koff, and Edward Paul

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The set, wardrobe, and art are adequate.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are adequate.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  

N/A  

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Adequate use is made of background extras.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is, perhaps, that it features the ghost of a St. Bernard.
 
What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 

N/A

Test your knowledge of this adaptation by taking these quizzes:

Quiz  1 of 2

Quiz  2 of 2

    

Review and quizzes by William Mortensen Vaughan

A Christmas Carol, Featuring the Voice of Tim Curry: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

 

Title(s):  A Christmas Carol

Adaptation:  Featuring the voice of Tim Curry as Ebenezer Scrooge, and Whoopi Goldberg as The Spirit of Christmas Present

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

SAT, 20 DEC 1997 U.S.A.

 

My Rating:  **(Substandard)

Format Reviewed:  animated film, on DVD

 

Runtime:  1 hours 12 minutes 

 

Availability:  

As of December 10, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD and VHS, are available, online, for approximately $10 U.S. Dollars.

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

Yes. Scrooge and Tiny Tim say, in unison, "God bless us, everyone!"

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Yes.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

Yes (see above).

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She doesn't "think it's very memorable."

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Victorian England

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

Plain English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation follows the original novel fairly well, but gives old Scrooge a dog, named Debit.
 
A child begs at the door of Scrooge's counting house before Fred arrives, without singing "God Rest You Merry Gentleman" as described by Dickens.  Instead of threatening the child with a ruler, as Dickens describes, Scrooge throws coal at him, then sends Cratchit to retrieve the coal, which Cratchit hands him after Fred has left, while the gentlemen collecting donations are still in the counting house.  Scrooge places the lumps of coal in the bucket, and locks the bucket in a safe.

This adaptation includes the scene at a place Dickens describes as Scrooge's "usual, melancholy tavern," which some versions exclude.  Although Dickens mentions Scrooge having dinner at his "usual melancholy tavern," reading "all the newspapers" and "[beguiling] the rest of the evening with his banker's-book,"
Dickens does not mention anyone else being at the tavern.  Dickens leaves it to the reader's imagination to create a waiter or waitress, and/or any other customers.  This adaptation shows a tavern full of people, with a redheaded waitress who performs a song and dance routine.

Young Scrooge has a cat in this version.  He sees Robinson Crusoe, as mentioned in the novel, but, instead of Ali Baba and the other characters Dickens mentions, Scrooge, in this adaptation, sees himself as a matador, and as King Arthur, removing the sword from the stone.

In this adaptation, in the scene where young Scrooge is older, but still in the boarding school, his sister comes and removes him from the school without their father's permission, unlike in Dickens' original novel, in which Fan tells Scrooge that their father sent her to bring him home in a carriage.

Although many film adaptations show Scrooge with Belle at Fezziwig's Christmas Ball, Dickens makes no mention of Belle until he describes the scene in which she breaks off her engagement to marry Scrooge.  In this adaptation, Belle does not appear at Fezziwig's Christmas Ball, but only appears later, when she releases Scrooge from his promise to marry her.

The Ghost of Christmas Present in this version is a black woman, who refers to her sisters, instead of her brothers, unlike Dickens' white, male Ghost of Christmas Present, who refers to more than eighteen hundred of his brothers.

On Christmas morning, the new Scrooge has Fred and his wife meet him at Cratchit's for dinner, to which he unexpectedly invites himself, instead of waiting for the day after Christmas to tell Cratchit about raising his salary.  This is unlike the original novel, in which Dickens has Scrooge anonymously send the Cratchits a turkey on Christmas Day, going later to Fred's for Christmas Dinner, and not seeing Bob Cratchit again until the day after Christmas, when Bob arrives late, and Scrooge rewards his tardiness with a pay raise.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  

No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, this film features ghosts and time travel.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes, this adaptation is framed by a narrator.

Is this adaptation a musical?  

No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Music by John Campbell... Several musical numbers are included, such as the song and dance routine in the tavern, which does not seem the least bit melancholy, contrary to Dickens' description.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The art and animation are adequate.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

(The transitions are adequate.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  

N/A 

 

What use is made of background extras?  

N/A

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

The addition of Debit the dog is, perhaps, the most remarkable thing about this adaptation.
 
What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 

There are no extras on this DVD.  This film plays automatically, and I can't even find a menu or splash screen for it.

Test your knowledge of this adaptation by taking these quizzes:

Quiz  1 of T.B.D.

Quiz  2 of T.B.D.

 

Quiz  3 of T.B.D.

 

Quiz  4 of T.B.D.

    

Review and quizzes by William Mortensen Vaughan

A Christmas Carol, Starring Vincent Fegan: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

 Title:  A Christmas Carol

Adaptation:  Starring Vincent Fegan as  Ebenezer Scrooge

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

SUN, 1 JAN 2012

 

My Rating:  ** (Substandard)

Format Reviewed:  live-action film, on DVD

 

Runtime:  1 hour, 22 minutes

 

Availability:  

As of November 8, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD/VHS, are available, online, for approximately $15 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Yes, it's reverent, but it's also creepy!

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

[T.B.D.]

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

[T.B.D.]

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She doesn't like it.  She thinks it's weird and creepy.  She doesn't like the lack of background extras.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Out in "the country," sometime after the invention of power lines.

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

Irish English.

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation follows the original novel fairly well, but it is the epitome of why film producers should use background extras.  Although it follows the original story fairly well, it sorely lacks background characters.  It seems to have been shot in the country, rather than in a city; none of the scenes resemble a city such as London, where the original story took place.  There are no passers-by, no shoppers, no boys sliding on the ice, no workers warming themselves by a fire in the streets...  Fezziwig's ball is not a ball; it's a toast among only three people:  Mr. Fezziwig, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Dick Wilkins.  Fred's party isn't a party; it's Fred and his wife - just the two of them.  The scene with Belle and her husband does not even include her daughter, let alone any children - just her and her husband.  Bob is missing three of his six children.  The mother who owed Scrooge money and is glad about his death is missing her husband.  Old Joe attends only the laundress and the charwoman, and not the undertaker's man.

There are only two businessmen at the Exchange, commenting on Scrooge's death, instead of the three or four whom Dickens mentions in his novel.  (Whether or not there are three, or four, is open to interpretation, based on the original novel, but there are at least three:  one "fat man with a monstrous chin," "another," and "a third."  Dickens also makes mention of a "red-faced gentleman with a pendulous excrescence on the end of his nose," but this may or not may have be the man he refers to as "another.")  There are no other people at the Exchange, in this adaptation, which Dickens describes as a busy place, with "merchants" who "hurried up and down" and "conversed in groups."  My wife thinks the two men at the Exchange in this adaptation are the same two men who went to Scrooge's counting house to ask for a donation.

Although one of the women takes Scrooge's bed curtains to old Joe, and Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning to exclaim that his curtains are still there, he is shown on a bed which is not a four-poster bed, and has no place to put bed curtains.  The scene is shot toward a curtained window, as if to imply that the bedroom window curtains are the bed curtains in question.

Several shots of female ghosts are included, for no apparent reason.  Perhaps the director owed these women a favor.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  

No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes.  Not only is this version supernatural, it seems more like one of Maria Olsen's low budget horror films than A Christmas Carol.  The music is dreadful, sometimes drowning out the dialogue.  The lighting and over-exposure, mixed with art and double or more expsosures, and the lack of background extras, and the solitary settings, as well as the female Ghost of Christmas Past's masculine, telepathic voice, all added to the creepiness of this film.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes, this adaptation is framed by Charles Dickens, played by Laurence Foster, reading the story out loud.

Is this adaptation a musical?  

No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Music by Michael Richard Plowman. If there are any musical numbers in this film, they aren't memorable enough to mention.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The art in this film is very unattractive, especially the Phantom's hand, which seems to be covered by melting wax or acid.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are inadequate.  They mostly consist of double or more exposure.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  

N/A 

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Inadequate use is made of background extras.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

The most remarkable part of this whole film is the performance/monologue of Neill Fleming, in the role of Bob Cratchit, grieving for the loss of Tiny Tim.  This is the most heart-wrenching show of grief on the part of any Bob Cratchit for any Tiny Tim which I have ever seen!
 
What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 

This DVD allows chapter selection.  It also includes trailers, one of which is for an Irish, ghost hunting documentary.

A Christmas Carol, Starring Anthony D.P. Mann: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

 Title:  A Christmas Carol

Adaptation:  (Starring Anthony D.P. Mann as Ebenezer Scrooge

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

FRI, 20 NOV 2015 U.S.A.

 

My Rating:  **(Substandard)

Format Reviewed:  live-action film, on DVD

 

Runtime:  59 minutes

 

Availability:  

As of November 8, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD, are available, online, for approximately $15 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

Yes.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

T.B.D.

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

T.B.D.

What does my wife think of this adaptation?
She thinks that the Director, Anthony D. P. Mann, looks too young and fat to play Scrooge.  She also thinks it's perhaps the worst musical she's ever seen.  Furthermore, she dislikes the way some of the footage is shot up the actors' noses.

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

Victorian England.

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

British English.

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This adaptation follows the original novel fairly well.  There are some modifications to the original story.  For example, the scene in which Scrooge's door knocker resembles Marley's face, is missing.  Also, Scrooge, played by Anthony D.P. Mann, doesn't go home from work on Christmas Eve; instead, he stays at his office.  He sings a song to a portrait of his partner, Marley, played by Terry Wade.  Later, he notices that Marley is missing from the portrait, and suddenly discovers that Marley's ghost is seated in his office.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Pamela Prendergast) is a tall woman dressed in black, like a widow at a funeral, showing her face, speaking, and singing!  The Ghost of Christmas Present (Andrea Hiltz) is a fat woman.  The Ghost of Christmas Past (Sherri Paterson) is a blonde woman.)

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  

No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes, this film features ghosts and time travel.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

Yes, by a narrator, Charles Dickens, played by Colin Baker.

Is this adaptation a musical?  

Yes.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

Various original songs are included.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The period costumes look well made and believable; the architecture and sets are adequate, but unimpressive.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The transitions are acceptable.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  

N/A 

 

What use is made of background extras?  

Little use, if any, is made of background extras.

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

I found the original songs very moving and/or entertaining.
 
What bonus material is included on the tape or DVD? 

The DVD includes a behind the scenes featurette, starring Colin Baker.

Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure: Review by William Mortensen Vaughan

 Title:  Dora's Christmas Carol

Adaptation:  Featuring the voice of Caitlin Sanchez as Dora

Dates and Places of Earliest Release:  

TUE, 3 NOV 2009, U.S.A.

 

My Rating:  ** (Substandard)

Format Reviewed:  animated film, on DVD

 

Runtime:  48 minutes

 

Availability:  

As of November 8, 2021, copies of this film, on DVD, are available, online, for approximately $5 U.S. Dollars.

Is this adaptation reverent? 

This adaptation is not particularly reverent.  Although it is intended for children, it has an emphasis on commercialism.

Does this adaptation mention "God" or "Christ"?

[T.B.D.]

 

Does this adaptation include the phrase "God bless us...?" 

[T.B.D.]

What does my wife think of this adaptation? 

She's neither impressed nor amused..

Where and when does this adaptation take place?

The North Pole, circa 2010

 
What language and/or dialects are used?  

American English

How closely does this adaptation follow the original novel, by Charles Dickens?

This "adaptation" isn't a legitimate adaptation; it is an unrelated story with the phrase "Christmas Carol" incorporated in the title, presumably to boost marketing.  This story is about Dora the Explorer (voice of Caitlyn Sanchez) traveling through time to help someone get off Santa's naughty list.  Harry Chase provides the voice of Santa Claus.  The only thing this adaptation seems to have to do with A Christmas Carol is its title.

Is this adaptation a prequel or a sequel?  

No.

Is this adaptation supernatural? 

Yes.  Santa is treated as a real person, and Dora has the ability to travel through time.

Is this adaptation "framed"?  

No.

Is this adaptation a musical?  

No.

 

What songs and/or dances are included?  

How many original musical numbers and/or dance routines are included?  Various original musical numbers are included, such as "Noche Buena" [Christmas Eve (literally "good night")] in mixed Spanish and English.

How attractive and effective is the visual art?  

The art is simple but attractive.

How creative and intense are the transitions, especially when "the Scrooge" is taken from one time and/or place to another?

The cartoon transitions are acceptable.

 

What aerial and/or nap-of-the-earth footage is included?  

N/A

 

What use is made of background extras?  

N/A

What is the most remarkable thing about this adaptation? 

The most remarkable thing about this adaptation is that it's about Santa Claus and not Ebenezer Scrooge.
 
What bonus material is included on the DVD? 

Chapter selection is available on the DVD, as well as two Special Features, which include two music videos and a behind the scenes featurette.